Irvine Police Department’s “Drone Team” published a video Friday showing the capture of a suspect detectives were reportedly unable to find, as well as the moment their unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) located the man.
The suspect, who was reportedly wanted for robbery, was taken into custody on September 1 when police used a drone to locate him after identifying his vehicle nearby. In footage taken from the UAV, the suspect can be seen walking in a quiet California neighborhood and using his cellphone before abruptly sprinting away upon realizing he was being chased. After briefly eluding officers by tearing through yards and jumping over fences, he ultimately gave himself up.
Irvine police described the arrest alongside video footage published to Facebook:
“You can run… but you can’t hide from our Drone Team.”
“On September 1, Irvine Police detectives responded to a residence in the Woodbridge community regarding a restraining order violation by a suspect who also had an active warrant for robbery. Detectives were able to locate the suspect’s vehicle but learned he had fled from the area on foot.”
“After members of the IPD Drone Team were dispatched to the location, they used the drone to find the suspect walking around the neighborhood. As drone pilots directed detectives and officers to the suspect’s location, he immediately ran away as they closed in on him.”
“The Drone Team kept constant observation of the suspect, continually updating the ground units as the suspect ran through backyards and hopped over walls. He ultimately gave up when he realized he wasn’t getting away. The suspect was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Irvine Police Department for booking.”
In the US, police usage of drones has exploded in the past decade since authorities in Grand Forks, North Dakota, were the first to use such a device in the course of an arrest in 2011. In recent years, more and more police departments throughout the US have quietly acquired the technology needed to spy on their local populations.
According to the University of Nevada’s Atlas of Surveillance, nearly 1,200 departments nationwide have begun to use UAVs so far, and more are following suit every year.